ABSTRACT
There is scant scholarship on the forms of violence experienced by gang-involved mothers, especially after their exit from the gangs, at the hands of state institutions. Most empirical research has instead focused on the immediate correlates of gang membership (psychosocial risk, delinquency and victimization) or on the forms of interpersonal and community violence women face while in gangs. This study examines the role of past gang affiliation in the interactions of Chicana mothers with the criminal justice and child welfare systems and the enduring consequences of said interactions on their lives and those of their families – what I refer to as trails of violence. This qualitative study is based on photo elicitation interviews with 13 formerly gang-involved Chicana mothers from South Central Los Angeles, California, and brings together life course and intersectionality theories to understand how race, gender, class and stigma shape the gendered, post-gang experience. It documents the criminalization perpetuated by the carceral state and includes recommendations to address such violence.
